


19th of December

by batkat



Series: A Bewitching Christmas [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, F/M, Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, St Mungo's Hospital, more Remus/Reader interaction to come, slow-burn, this one took me ages, we love pain
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-13 05:13:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28648122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/batkat/pseuds/batkat
Summary: In which Reader has several uncomfortable talks.Reader has attended Hogwarts with the Marauders. After James and Lily's death reader became an Auror and is now working as a spy for the Order. It's the beginning of December and another Order meeting has been scheduled to take place. Sirius does something daring and cheeky and ropes Reader into spending Christmas with him. Little did they know that Arthur Weasley would be attacked by Nagini, resulting in the Weasleys spending Christmas at Nr. 12 Grimmauld Place. The fact that Remus joins them and that Reader and Remus have a complicated relationship makes things... difficult to say the least.This Christmas series follows the events taking place in December during the "HP and The Order of the Phoenix" timeline with some slight changes.The names of the individual chapters correspond with the days during which the story takes place.
Relationships: Remus Lupin & Reader, Remus Lupin/Reader
Series: A Bewitching Christmas [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2043187
Comments: 2
Kudos: 20





	19th of December

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, I am so sorry this took so long to write. I had major writer's block and just couldn't get it the way I wanted it to! I also hope that you're still interested in reading even though it isn't Christmas anymore! Also it would mean the world to me if you could leave a comment or kudos! Thank you!
> 
> Last but not least: TRANS WOMEN ARE WOMEN. There is nothing better than taking the HP world into our hands - the fans' hands - and turning it into something beautiful, inclusive and diverse. At all my trans readers: I see you and I appreciate you and you are worthy.

You couldn’t remember a night that had ever felt longer than the one you were sitting through now. The hands of the clock on the wall didn’t seem to move. It felt like you had been stuck in the same minute of the same hour for days. You mostly sat in silence, except for the occasional cough and bottles being lifted and put back on the table. You watched the candle burning down, the only thing that told you that you weren’t stuck in a horrible, awful time-loop. Remus had tried to get you to eat something, but even the thought of food or drink made you sick. At one point during the night, Ginny fell asleep, her head resting on the kitchen table. Fred was blinking hard, rubbing his eyes every so often. Ron had his head in his hands and George was restlessly banging his foot against a table-leg. You could tell by Sirius’ face that he was annoyed but the wizard refrained from saying anything.

At ten past five, the kitchen door swung open, revealing a very tired Mrs. Weasley. Ginny woke with a start and Fred and George jumped from their chairs. Molly was very pale and seemed exhausted, but when you all turned to look at her, she managed to give a wan smile.

“Arthur is going to be alright.”

The feeling of relief that flooded your body was stronger than anything you had felt in a long time. “Molly, I-”, you began.

She quickly interrupted you, and for a brief moment you thought that she had flinched at the sound of your voice. “He’s sleeping now,” she continued. “Bill is with him.”

Ron let out a strangled sob. Fred and Ginny got up to give their mother a hug and George let himself fall on his chair again with a loud ‘thud’. Remus briefly closed his eyes, letting out a huge breath.

Sirius got up and clapped his hands. “Breakfast, I think!” He sounded just as relieved as you felt. “KREACHER!” he called, but the house-elf didn’t show. “Never there when you need him but always when you don’t”, muttered Sirius though he didn’t sound as angry as usual about Kreacher’s disappearances. “Well, no problem, we can do it ourselves, can’t we? Let’s see…we need toast, eggs, ham, orange juice…” he trailed off as he walked over to the hearth. Harry shortly joined him. Mrs. Weasley turned to Remus who was sitting next to you.

“Remus, Sirius, thank you for taking care of my children.”

“Molly, it was nothing,” assured Remus with a smile. “Really, it was the least we could do.”

“Molly,” you tried again, firmer this time, though you could still hear your voice shaking. You swallowed. “Molly, I am so sorry, I shouldn’t have accepted Arthur’s offer, it was my fault and if I had been there…” you trailed off, helpless as what to say next.

“It’s not your fault Arthur got attacked,” Mrs. Weasley replied curtly. “Harry, my dear boy!” and with that, she bustled over to where Harry stood to pull him into a tight hug.

“I don’t know what we would have done without you. You were the one who alerted Dumbledore, without you we would never have found Arthur in time, and thanks to you, Dumbledore came up with a good cover story for the  _ Prophet _ , oh thank you, Harry!”

Molly went on to help Sirius with the breakfast preparations, but you couldn’t bear to listen to her any longer. Molly, who was always friendly, who never had a bad word to say about you and had always encouraged and looked after you, was now unable to look you in the eyes. Worse, she couldn’t even speak to you.

You leapt to your feet and made for the door.

“I need- I need to get out of here”, you gulped.

“No, listen, stay-”, protested Remus, his hand grazing your arm as you brushed him off. The last thing you needed right now was his pity or worse: his reproach.

You hastened out of the kitchen and up the stairs. You hurried down the corridor and turned left into the small living room where Sirius, Remus, and you had spent the better part of the previous evening. The room was colder now that the fire had burnt down. You strode past the couch and armchairs, up to the diamond-paned glass window. It snowed overnight and the streets and neighbourhood outside were covered with a thick coat of dazzling white flakes.

“Alohomora”, you pointed your wand at the lock, but the window wouldn’t open. Cursing, you tried again, but the window stayed stubbornly closed. You suspected that it was another precaution Dumbledore or Alastor had taken to protect the house.

Exhausted, you settled for sitting down on the windowsill. You drew up your legs, resting your chin on your knees while watching the world outside turn whiter with every new snowflake. It was still dark outside. It wasn’t yet time for the Muggles to get to work or for their children to go to school. Some cars drove by; early wakers perhaps, or late sleepers. You didn’t look up when you heard someone enter the room.

“Do you want me to leave you alone?”, inquired Remus from the doorway.

“Stay.”

Remus’ measured steps drew closer until he stood next to you. “Lily always said that snow is one of those things...”

“...that feel like magic even though they aren’t,” you finished quietly. “I know.”

“Every time I see snow I have to think of her.”

Remus sat down on the other side of the window sill. You could feel him looking at you but you kept watching the street below. You knew what he was going to say anyway.

“It’s not your fault, you know.”

You stayed silent.

“I know you’re blaming yourself.”

You huffed and chose not to answer.

“What happened was a tragic accident. Arthur knew the risk when he offered to take your shift. We all knew the risk.” He paused, waiting for you to speak, but you stubbornly kept avoiding looking at him.

“If you had been there, you’d be the one we’d be visiting later on.”

“Well, I don’t have a wife or children to leave behind, should I die,” you said bitterly.

How could you have been so stupid to allow Arthur, who had a loving family, to put himself into even more danger so you could have a night off?

You saw Remus stiffen. “There are other people you would leave behind.”

You shook your head. “Remus, if Arthur had died tonight… I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”

“But he didn’t die,” spoke Remus urgently. He shifted closer to you, He moved closer to you, extending his hand, letting it hover inches above your shoulder. You suddenly remembered your reaction in the kitchen; and gave him a tiny nod. His hand felt warm and reassuring, a familiar weight that you knew as a sign that everything would be all right again.

_ My fault, my fault, my fault. _

“He didn’t die”, Remus repeated. “He is alive, thanks to Harry and Dumbledore. And Arthur would say the same. He'll want to see you.” Remus paused. “I think you should go see him later with the others.”

“I don’t think-”, you began when the door banged open. You turned around to see Sirius strutting into the room. He looked happy, almost exuberant.

“The Weasleys are going to stay here over the holidays! Isn’t that fantastic? That means it’s not just us and old Kreacher singing Christmas songs and getting wasted-” He stopped midsentence, suddenly aware of his interruption.

“Remus- Claws, are you alright? You look as pale as my mother’s starched bedsheets. Not that she starched them herself, of course. Always let one of her house-elves do it…” he trailed off.

“Sirius, now is not the time.” declared Remus, sounding more brusque than usual.

“Are you sure, because-”

“Sirius, why do you always think that you’re better than anyone else at knowing what a person needs?”, Remus asked. He had said it matter-of-factly but his voice had a dangerous undertone to it, something that told you he clearly wasn't in the mood for one of Sirius’ jokes right now. Sirius made to answer, but he, too, must have noticed the change in Remus’ voice, because he closed his mouth without uttering another word, and left the room, though not before throwing a last worrying glance your way.

You turned away again, and watched as the sky outside slowly turned to an inky blue.

“I don’t mind”, you said, your voice tight. “At least he means well.”

“Ah, but to mean  _ well  _ and to do  _ good  _ are two entirely different things.”

_ At least he was there for me when you weren't _ , you thought bitterly, the words almost forming on your lips. It wasn’t fair and you knew Remus deserved better, but your talk the other night had served as an uncomfortable reminder that some wounds you thought had healed were still fresh. Normally, it was easy not to remember what had happened. You had long ago decided that it was best to bury that pain deep within you and not think of it, and you had managed well. But continuing to do so was easier said than done, now that the past had seemingly caught up with you. Now, when you looked at Remus you were reminded of all the  _ what-if's _ and  _ maybe's,  _ of how hard you'd fought to get over him and how hard it had been to push away the memories of his turning away from you before had  _ realised… _

But stronger than the desire to know what had made him turn away from you that fateful year was the need for self-protection. And right now, you knew the truth would be too much for you to bear.

You nodded, but something of your inner conflict must have shown in your eyes because Remus lowered his head, then turned around to make for the door.

“You should sleep. It’s been a long night” and with that, he left the room.

You stared down at your socks. It felt wrong, now, to wear something that cheerful and festive when you were feeling completely the opposite. It was ironic, really; by Arthur being on guard duty you had only exchanged one vigil for another. You were now beginning to feel the consequences of two consecutive sleepless nights, but inherently you knew that sleep would evade you again if you tried. Ignoring Remus’ advice, you settled for pressing your forehead against the glass, watching the sky turn a milky gray. The clouds hung low and still and snowflakes were falling like petals of a wilting rose. Outside on the window sill, the wind had swept a thick layer of snow against the glass panes, the edges of which had already frosted over. There were people on the streets now; Muggles taking out the trash and chatting while their children danced on the sidewalk trying to catch snowflakes with their tongues. If it hadn’t been for the current situation, the scenes of winter wonderland felicity would have brought you joy.

Hours later - it was well into the early afternoon - you heard the footsteps of the Weasley children on the stairs and you knew the family was getting ready to visit Arthur at St. Mungo’s. You stretched your legs and hissed at the sharp pain shooting up your limbs that must have come from hours of sitting in the same position. Gingerly, you stood up and made your way to the door and into the hallway. The kids’ trunks must have already arrived, given that everyone was already dressed in Muggle clothes for their trip to the hospital. There was a cheerful atmosphere. Everyone except for Harry seemed riotously happy and talkative as they finished off a tray of sandwiches that served as a late lunch. 

You slowly crept closer until, amidst all the bustle, you detected Sirius who was leaning against the wall and eyeing the whole procedure with a sour expression.

“You don’t look like you’ve got a lot of sleep,” he commented as you joined him in leaning moodily against the wall.

“Tell me something I don’t know”, you murmured. You looked at Fred and George who continued to try and pull Ron’s hat over his eyes, but you couldn’t get yourself to feel cheerful.

Sirius nudged you with his elbow. “You should get dressed.”

You winced. “I am not sure whether they… whether Molly wants me there.”

“Of course they do.” Sirius raised his voice so everyone could hear him. “She’s coming with you, isn’t she?”

Before Molly could answer, there was a series of metallic clicks coming from the front door. It creaked open and in stepped Alastor Moody, followed by Tonks, who was sporting bright, pink hair beneath her woolen hat that was covered with snowflakes.

“Afternoon”, huffed Alastor as he closed the door.

Everyone greeted the Aurors cheerfully and laughed at Tonks’ choice of clothing that involved fishnet tights, a striped skirt, a sweatshirt the colour of daisy yellow, and a biker jacket that was twice her size.

You offered a weak greeting, but Alastor’s swivelling eye had immediately fixed on you upon entering the hallway. You swallowed.

“Give us a minute, will ya’, Molly?”, he said and limped towards you. He put a hand on your arm and more or less dragged you into a tiny room that was little more than a broom cupboard. The door closed with a bang.

“So,” the Auror said, leaning forward on his staff. “Anything you want to tell me?”

Your mouth suddenly went dry. “Listen, Alastor, I should never have agreed to Arthur’s suggestion to cover for me. It was irresponsible and if I had been there-”

“What?” interrupted the wizard with a bellow. “You think you would have been able to stop the snake?” He snarled. “Do you think yourself that superior?”

“N- no”, you answered, taken aback. You fought the inexplicable urge to cry. “But Arthur, he didn’t deserve… it wasn't his turn…” You broke off at the look on Mad-Eye’s face.

“Listen closely”, he huffed. His eyes, one real, the other magical, were boring into yours. “It doesn’t matter who got attacked last night.”

You wanted to protest but closed your mouth again.

“You think it wouldn’t have been just as bad if they had had to scrape you off the floor? You are all valuable to the Order and here we don’t hold one life in higher regard than another. But...” he continued and narrowed his eyes at you. “...however prestigious you might be in the Ministry-” he nearly spat the last word. “It doesn’t give you the right to defy your orders and take matters into your own hand.”

You felt your cheeks flush. “I understand-”

“Follies like these could cost someone’s life and they very nearly did, though of course, you are not to blame for the attack. It’s not like you knew it was coming.”

You hugged yourself to keep from shaking.

“You just said it yourself, Arthur nearly died.”

Mad-Eye drew himself up. “Didn’t I just say that if you had stuck to the plan, you’d be the one we’d be visiting now? Stop blaming yourself for this. But next time…” he paused to give you a once-over, and you realised with mortification that you were still in your trainers and wearing your Christmas socks.

“Maybe put duty before pleasure.”

“Yes, sir”, you murmured before the Auror opened the door again to step back into the corridor.

Recollecting yourself, you followed him a few seconds later, acutely aware of Sirius’ glances. You returned his stare with a shrug and mouthed “later” when Molly walked over to you. The dark circles under her eyes stood in stark contrast to her pale face, but she seemed a little more lively than when you had last seen her.

“Molly, I would like to come with you. That is… if you’re okay with it”, you added nervously.

“I think Arthur would like that very much”, she said with a small smile. She wasn’t yet back at her usual self but this was infinitely better than her cold welcome merely hours before.

“Thank you, really,” you said and let out a relieved sigh. “Just let me change really quickly, okay?”

You hurried up the stairs until you reached the second floor and quickly made your way down the corridor and into your room. You pointed your wand towards the chest of drawers, which immediately opened and started to spit out every single clothing item you owned. “Merlin’s beard, not like that”, you cursed and waved your wand again. After sorting through the mess you found a pair of jeans, trainers, and a grey sweatshirt. After some consideration, you also grabbed a pair of gloves, a hat, and your trusty coat. The latter was the most expensive piece of clothing you owned, something you had bought for yourself as a gift after passing your final Auror assessments. A made-to-measure piece that, despite being made by Madam Malkin, looked surprisingly un-witchy. It was grey, with a buttonless front, a shawl-styled collar, and most importantly, two internal pockets that thanks to the Undetectable Extending Charm, never bulged, no matter how much stuff you were carrying with you. On paper, it probably wasn’t quite legal for a Ministry official of your rank to walk around with such an artefact but you also knew that many of the other Aurors and officials working for Fudge were abusing their positions for much worse, so you didn’t feel too guilty when you put it on.

You turned on your heels and left your room to rejoin the others. Stepping into the corridor, you nearly ran into Remus who was also on his way downstairs.

“Are you coming with us?”, you asked, thinking of how it would improve your mood to have him there.

“No, not this time. With all of you visiting, I’d just be in the way.”

The smile fell from your face. You had been looking forward to not having to spend the train ride in awkward silence, given that Molly and Mad-Eye didn’t seem like they had already completely forgiven you.

_ I’m not sure what makes you think you’d ever be in the way. _

“You’ll be alright”, he said as you reached the bottom of the stairs.

“I guess”, you murmured.  _ But I still wish you’d come with us.  _ You hesitated, unsure whether to say something else when Alastor barked: “Enough of all this, let’s get moving!”

Remus gave you an encouraging smile. “Go. I’ll keep Sirius company and make sure he doesn’t do something stupid.”

“I heard that.” called Sirius from the other side of the corridor. You looked up. He looked unusually grim watching all of you get ready. For him, it was probably only getting harder and harder to watch the other members of the Order come and go as they pleased while he had to spend all his time hiding in the one place he hated so much that he had run away from it as a teenager.

“Make sure he isn’t too grumpy when we get back”, you murmured to Remus as you put your hat and gloves on.

He turned to you. “I’ll do my best.” You glanced up and noticed Remus still staring. “What? Do I have something in my face?”

“No, not at all.” 

You tried to mask the uncomfortable silence with a laugh. “What is it then?”

“The, er, hat looks nice on you.”

“Oh, right, thanks”, you said awkwardly, not quite knowing what else to say.

Before you could dwell on what Remus had said, Mad-Eye, who was now wearing a bowler hat at an angle to conceal his magical eye, stamped his staff on the floor.

“Alright, enough chit chat, let’s get moving everyone!” As soon as everyone was standing outside, Mrs. Weasley raised her voice at the twins.

“Now, don’t try any of your tricks. NO USE OF MAGIC in front of the Muggles. No enchanted snowballs, no sudden accidents. FRED, LISTEN TO ME! I SAID NO-”

You grinned. Of course, Molly’s warning came too late. Already, a couple of flying snowballs were circling your group and one got dangerously close to colliding with Ron’s face.

“Stop it!” he demanded. “Just because you are allowed to do magic outside school now doesn’t mean you have to rub it in every single time.” Despite his outburst, even he sounded less annoyed than usual. The prospect of seeing their dad left the Weasley children giddy and they continued to tease each other until you were all sitting on a train towards the heart of the city.

“You needn’t worry, you know”, said Tonks suddenly. She was sitting next to you and regarded you with a peculiar look. “Arthur is alive and he’ll be up again in a jiffy.”

You managed a smile but you weren’t really in the mood to discuss the whole matter again. The talk with Alastor had helped to reduce your anxiety a little but you were still dreading seeing and talking to Arthur himself.

The whole party got off at the next stop, Molly leading the way and Mad-Eye clunking along at the back of the group. You kept on hand in your coat pocket, clutching your wand and a glance at Alastor confirmed he was doing the same. 

“How far is it?” asked Harry. You realised that this was going to be his first time visiting St. Mungo’s.

“Not far from here,” grunted Moody as you stepped out into the wintry air on a street packed with Muggles shopping for Christmas presents. Here, in the city centre, the cars and pedestrians had already turned the snow to brown slush. Fred and George looked like they were ready to storm the next sweet shop but Molly seized their arms to keep them from running off.

“Here we go,” said Tonks a moment later.

You were standing in front of a large, old-fashioned, red-brick department store called Purge & Dowse Ltd. Everything about it looked abandoned and shabby. There were still a few dummies displayed in the windows. Only some of them were still wearing their wigs, others had lost them already. What they all had in common though was that they were modeling clothes that were at least ten years out of date.

“Right.” Molly beckoned Harry and her children in front of a window displaying nothing but a single dummy wearing a particularly ugly dress. The dummy was supposedly female and its fake eyelashes had come down and were now stuck to its cheek and lips.

Molly leaned forward until her nose was nearly touching the glass.

“We’re here to see Arthur Weasley. We are friends and family.”

For a few seconds, nothing seemed to happen and you saw Harry opening his mouth, no doubt to express confusion, when the dummy nodded and extended its hand to beckon you closer.

“In you go,” said Moody and pushed Fred and George through the glass. Molly seized Harry and Ron, and Tonks took Ginny by the hand. You stepped forward through what felt like a cold sheet of water and emerged on the other side. The abandoned shop had made way for a busy reception hall in which rows of witches and wizards sat on rickety chairs. Some of them looked quite normal, perusing copies of  _ The Daily Prophet _ or reading books, but you knew from experience that some of the worst kinds of illnesses didn’t leave any exterior traces.

“Come on, boy,” grunted Mad-Eye as he gave Harry a shove. Harry looked seemingly astonished and intrigued. You noticed that a man who was growing an extra head on top of his own had caught the boy’s gaze. 

You nudged him. “I know it’s difficult, but try not to stare.”

“Yes, sorry, of course”, Harry hurried to say.

You smiled. “No need to be ashamed, Harry. I did very much the same when I first came here.”

“When you first came here? That sounds like-”

“Like I wasn’t visiting, but a patient? Yeah, I came in because of a splintered arm and some nasty wounds from a counter curse. They simply wouldn’t stop bleeding.” Suddenly you noticed Molly’s disapproving look over her shoulder. “But that’s a story for another day”, you hurriedly finished.

“Over here,” Molly called out to the rest of the group, and you followed her to the queue in front of a plump blonde witch seated at a desk marked ‘Enquiries’. There were only a couple of people in front of you and the Welcomewitch dealt with them with surprising speed. Neither the girl with the dragonfly wings growing out of her back nor the man who claimed he was being eaten by his shoes managed to even make her look up from her desk.

“Fourth floor”, said the witch, in a bored voice, to the woman in front of you. She had the nose of a bird and the ears of a donkey.

“Blimey”, whispered Ron but Ginny elbowed him into silence.

“Next.”

Molly Weasley stepped to the front. “Good afternoon, we are here to see Arthur Weasley? He has been moved this mor-”

At the mention of the name, the witch looked up. “Arthur Weasley?” she asked and narrowed her eyes as she took in your group. “All of you?”

“Is that a problem?”, asked Molly, her voice an octave higher than usual.

“Just surprised at the number of visitors, is all.” conceded the witch but her gaze lingered on you. “Don’t I know you from The Daily Prophet or so? Aren’t you one of those Ministry officials?”

You tried to return her look as calmly as possible though you could feel your heart beating in your chest. “Hundreds of witches work at the Ministry, madam. You probably mistake me for someone else.”

Then, Moody was making his way through the queue. He had stood a little aside before but was now clunking up to the front desk.

“Do we have a problem here?”, he growled.

The witch’s gaze fell on his magical eye. She swallowed and tried a polite smile.

“No, not at all, sir. Mr. Weasley is on the first floor, second door to the right. Dai Llewellyn Ward.”

“Right”, the Auror huffed.

“Come, children”, Molly said, a little nervous, and all of you followed her through the double doors and along the narrow corridor beyond, which was lined with portraits of famous Healers and lit by crystal bubbles full of candles that floated up on the ceiling, looking like giant soapsuds. At the end of the corridor, you climbed a set of stairs until you reached a door with an engraved messing plate that read ‘Creature-Induced Injuries Corridor’. You entered and soon stood before a door that bore the words: ‘Dangerous Dai Llewellyn Ward: Serious Bites’.

“We’ll wait outside, Molly”, Tonks said. “Too many visitors at once might be a little much. It should just be the family first.”

Mad-Eye nodded and you set yourself with your back against the corridor wall. Harry stood aside as well, but Molly pushed him through the door with them.

“Don’t be silly, Harry, Arthur wants to thank you!” She shut the door behind them.

You let out a breath, then turned to Mad-Eye. “Why do you think that woman-”

“-was surprised to see you here?” he finished darkly. “No idea.”

“What if she recognized me from a previous copy of  _ The Prophet _ ? I can’t help being in some of the pictures they publish, Fudge keeps me around too much to avoid the press entirely.” You scowled as you thought of the Minister’s practices. Never before had there been such a mixing of high politics and the Auror office. Because the Minister had failed to gain Dumbledore’s approval in every respect, he was now obsessed with surrounding himself with Aurors, trying to present a ‘united front’ to the public.

“What of it?” asked Tonks, twirling a strand of hair between her fingers.

“If she is clever, and let’s hope she’s not, she might recognise who she is,” Mad-Eye nodded at you, “and ask what an Auror that works so closely with Fudge is doing visiting someone like Arthur Weasley, who’s dealing with Muggle artefacts.”

All of a sudden, the queasy feeling in your stomach was back. You felt like you were going to get sick. “What do we do?”

“Nothing”, said Moody. “For now. But maybe you shouldn’t come and visit Arthur again.”

Tonks chewed her lip. “Let’s hope she ain’t the brightest tool in the shed, right?”

After a few minutes of silence in which you were contemplating all that could possibly go wrong if the witch at the desk indeed made the connection, the door opened again and the Weasley children and Harry came out. They looked a little more relaxed and laid-back than before, something you took as a sign that Arthur was on the mend.

You followed Tonks and Alastor into the room and made sure the door was firmly closed behind you.

The ward was rather dingy, and even though it housed three patients, it wasn’t very big. There was only one window, which didn’t permit much daylight as it was narrow and set high in the wall facing the door. Arthur Weasley was occupying the bed at the far end of the room. He was propped up on several pillows with his hands folded in front. He was incredibly pale, his shock of red hair only emphasized how colourless he looked. Molly was next to him, adjusting his pillows and blanket every few seconds. His face lit up when he saw you coming towards him, though you hung back a little, still nervous about how he would react to your presence.

“Good to see you, Arthur”, said Alastor.

“You don’t look that bad”, greeted Tonks, which made Arthur chuckle, though his laughter quickly turned to short pained huffs.

“Yeah, those bites still hurt a bit”, he said at your shocked expression. He lifted his shirt to show you the bandages covering his chest. “Wish I could take them off, but I start bleeding like mad every time they try. There is something in the snake’s poison that keeps wounds open.” He tried to shrug but only managed a slight nod with his head. “In the meantime, I have to take a Blood-Replenishing Potion every hour, and trust me, it tastes as bad as it sounds.”

“So, what happened?”, asked Tonks and she settled into one of the chairs next to Arthur’s bed.

He managed a tired smile. “Dozed off.”

“Arthur”, you began quietly when you couldn’t hold it back anymore. “I know that there is nothing I could say to make this in any way better but I am so sorry- if I had known…”

“Please stop. You have done nothing wrong.  _ I  _ offered to take your shift,  _ I  _ am the one who fell asleep on the job.”

You shuddered at the thought that only one night earlier, the same had happened to you.

“Neither I nor Molly”, here he looked to his wife, “blame you for anything, isn’t that right, my dear?”

Molly looked at you, really looked at you this time. “No, we don’t blame you.”

You breathed a sigh of relief and let out a shaky laugh. It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off your chest.

“Told you”, muttered Mad-Eye.

“Thank you, Arthur, Molly, thank you, that’s…”, you breathed but trailed off when Arthur lifted a hand to silence you.

“Enough of this, there’s nothing to apologise nor thank us for. Now”, he leaned forward in his bed and lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. “What happened after they scraped me off the floor?”

“They searched the whole area but couldn’t find the snake anywhere. It seems to have simply vanished after it attacked you, Arthur”, said Tonks. “But how would You-Know-Who even have got it in the Ministry?”

You suddenly recalled what Harry had told Sirius about his meeting with Voldemort at the graveyard at the end of the boy’s fourth year.

“Harry said that a snake was with Vol-, You-Know-Who that night at the graveyard. What if it’s the same? No living creature that isn’t enchanted or evil would bear the presence of Vol- Voldemort for long. This was no ordinary snake, Arthur. Especially not given the fact that your wounds aren’t closing.”

“I reckon he sent it as a lookout”, growled Moody, “cause he’s not had any luck so far, has he? No, I reckon he’s trying to get a clearer picture of what he’s facing and if Arthur hadn’t been there the beast would have had a lot more time to look around and gather information. So, Potter, he saw it all happen?”

“Yes”, said Molly and she sounded uneasy.

“Yeah, well”, admitted Moody, “there’s something funny about him, alright.”

“He’s traumatized, what do you expect, Alastor?” you interjected.

“Dumbledore seems worried about him”, whispered Tonks.

“Dumbledore’s always worried, these days”, you said. “It doesn’t mean that Harry-”

“Course he’s worried”, interrupted Moody. “The boy’s seeing things from inside You-Know-Who’s snake.”

“He’s a Parselmouth!”

Moody ignored you. “Obviously, Potter doesn’t realise what that means, but if You-Know-Who’s possessing him-”

“We shouldn’t discuss this here”, you hissed and threw a wary glance at the door. You knew that during the last few months, the twins had been working on some joke articles, including a pair of ears that could be used to overhear what was being said in other rooms.

This time even Alastor didn’t object.

“Alright, enough of that”, said Molly with a forced air of nonchalance. “I’ll come again tomorrow Arthur. Don’t you dare do anything stupid,” and she leaned over to give him a kiss. You averted your eyes to give them some privacy. Molly and Arthur’s relationship often seemed so pure, so  _ perfect _ , that it sometimes hurt you to look at them. Their bliss served as a sharp reminder of what was possible in life. But you had learnt the hard way that possibilities and the choice to decide between them, always came at a price.


End file.
